208: Pulmonary Function Testing

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this section, you will have mastered the following learning objectives:

1. Give five indications for pulmonary function evaluation.
2. Identify the major muscles of breathing during inspiration and expiration.
3. Distinguish between dead space ventilation and effective ventilation.
4. Describe the production and function of surfactant in the lungs.
5. Define the following terms:
   Compliance
   Elastance
   Resistance
6. Describe the three main components of pulmonary resistance and indicate the overall importance of each of these components in the total resistance.
7. Describe the factors affecting dynamic airway compression and indicate the effect of disease states on dynamic airway compression.
8. Describe the breathing patterns associated with obstructive and restrictive pulmonary diseases.
9. List, define, and give normal values for the lung volumes and capacities in an average adult male.
10. Given values for lung volumes and/or lung capacities, calculate other lung volumes and/or capacities.
11. Describe the procedures for obtaining a slow vital capacity maneuver and forced vital capacity maneuver.
12. Given a tracing of a forced vital capacity maneuver, label the following flow values:
    FEV.5
    FEV1
    FEF200=1200
    FEF25-75
13. Describe the appearance of the MVV tracing in the normal, obstructive, and restrictive patient.
14. Label the axis and significant points on a flow-volume loop.
15. Describe the basic principle involved in measuring the residual volume by each of the following methods:
    Closed circuit method
    Open circuit method
    Plethysmographic method
    Radiologic method
16. Indicate the methods for obtaining the residual volume that takes into account “trapped gas.”
17. Describe the significance of each of the four phases of the single breath nitrogen test.
18. Describe how the anatomy and distribution of gases in the lungs affect the single breath nitrogen test.
19. Describe the purpose of measuring the diffusing capacity and indicate factors which can affect it.
20. Indicate three means by which predicted values for pulmonary function studies can be generated.
21. Name five primary obstructive diseases and five primary restrictive pulmonary diseases.
22. Describe the typical pulmonary function findings associated with obstructive pulmonary diseases.
23. Describe the typical pulmonary function findings associated with restrictive pulmonary diseases.

for Nurses